A NATIONAL HERO

by Lee Brock

A turkey hopped upon a fence,
And gobbled loud in his defense.
I am a strong and healthy bird;
Now listen to my learned word.
I know the time is coming soon,
About the time of harvest moon,
When turkeys are considered fare
For people tables everywhere.
Now I've a plan to share with you.
Here's the thing we have to do.
We'll form a turkey union: hear?
And go on strike this time of year.
We'll form a turkey picket line,
And each of us will tote a sign:
"Unfair to turkeys', it will read,
"For they're a rare, endangered breed."
We'll get the media on our side;
(Hear! Hear!, the other turkeys cried),
We'll generate a lot of talk;
At being eaten we will balk.
We'll never once negotiate
To end upon some persons plate.
We'll shut this country down complete;
We never will admit defeat.
But when a certain day rolled 'round,
They shipped that turkey of to town,
And those who boosted him to fame
Soon forgot that turkey's name.

Any resemblance to any politician living or dead is purely coincidental. Lee Brock

Uncle Garland

In every family there’s someone steady as a rock,
Someone who has been around the block
And knows all the history of the flock.
In my family that’s my Uncle Garland Brock.

Every time I visit him I come away amazed.
He tells me all about how he was raised.
The details that he recalls leave me dazed.
It seems as if time has left his memory unfazed.


He has lived longer than any of his kin
That he knows of from way back when.
That makes him the oldest Brock that’s been.
He always tells me that with a grin.

It was different back then, he explains,
When he rode his horse across the Texas plains.
He helped plow and handle the mule's reins
When he and Papa planted and harvested grains.

He got called by Uncle Sam to go to war
So he fixed gun turrets for the Army Air Corps
The states of Washington and Florida he did explore
But he didn’t have to go to a foreign shore.


He moved from Seminole to San Saba for a while
He built roads for the state of Texas, mile after mile.
It was living there that he lost his Mama’s smile.
So he returned home looking for a job worthwhile.

He got on with the Texas State Highway Department.
And there the rest of his working days he spent.
He has lived his retirement years quite content
He took care of his Papa till heaven he went.

When he was a senior in ‘35 he played ball
Played a game on a field of cockleburs he can recall
He and I saw Rowdy play a game this fall
Strangest game we ever witnessed, no punts at all.


When I was little he would take me to baseball games
When we talk Cowboy football he knows all their names
And they haven’t been very good lately he claims
Knowing what going on in the entire sports world is his aim.

But the thing that he has done in his life the best
Is take care of parents, sisters, brother and the rest.
During our lives when we have been stressed
We have all benefited from his care, I can attest.

We owe a lot to Foster and Lena’s oldest son.
With his unconditional love our hearts he has won.
Thanks Uncle Garland for all you have done.
When it comes to being an Uncle, you’re number one.